UPDATE - Gemini, Ocean Pearl manager says charters plane to repatriate crews
- Details
- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 03 October 2011 03 October 2011
International Shipping Partners (ISP), the Miami based technical manager of Gemini and Ocean pearl that had been on charter to the collapsed Spanish operator Hppy Cruise, says it has chartered a plane to repatriate crews of the two ships.
“I can inform you that the Gemini and the Ocean Prearl are both alongside in Gibraltar. All crewmembers are being treated well, and there is more than sufficient food onboard. There are no health issues onboard,” Nils-Erik Lund, managing director of ISP told Cruise Business Online in an email. He referred to an earlier report from Peruvian sources.
“Happy Cruises has unexpectedly cancelled their cruises, and ISP as technical managers of the vessels, have had to take care of the hotel crew. The owner of the vessels, are paying the hotel crew the salaries they are owed. A number of crew has been repatriated, and it is expected that by Thursday of this week, all 560 hotel crew members have been paid and repatriated,” Lund continued.
“The travel arrangements have been complicated due to the many nationalities, and the different visa requirements. Due to this we have chartered to Airbus 320 plans to transport the majority of the crew from Gibraltar to London, and we have then arranged tickets from London to the crewmembers home countries,” he said.
UPDATE – Peruvian crew member on Gemini reported to say crew unpaid
The fallout from the demise of Happy Cruises continues. On Thursday, 29 September 2011, the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reported that a Peruvian crew member named Rooy Eduardo Deceno Veláquez claimed to have been detained together with 300 others by the cruise operator for six days onboard Gemini near the Strait of Gibraltar.
Deceno emailed El Comercio in Peru to say that after disembarking all the passengers in Málaga on the previous Saturday, the vessel suddenly changed course and sailed towards Barcelona. They were prevented from leaving the ship. Later they were told that the ship was heading for Gibraltar.
According to Deceno, the ship is in the midst of changing ownership and no one was willing to pay the crew’s salaries. They had not been paid for four months. Deceno also left an audio message on CNN’s iReport to this effect and pleaded for help. “We are begging you, help us. I’m waiting for your answer. We’ll be in Gibraltar on Thursday, please come, or maybe they are still deceiving us. We don’t know until when. There are sick people onboard and they don’t want to do anything.” [Courtesy of CNN iReport]
Deceno worked in the ship’s restaurant. He is 32 years old and comes form Trujillo. It was also reported that another crewmember wrote to his sister, stating, among others, that the crew had not been fed and there had been a big brawl onboard. Yesterday, El Comercio reported that the Peruvian Foreign Ministry had stated there were 14 Peruvians working onboard Gemini and they were being treated well. The Honorary Peruvian Consul in Málaga, Alfonso Galán, received communication from another Peruvian crewmember, Marco Antonio Maestre Dupeyrat, stating that the crewmembers were all in good health and there was sufficient provision onboard.
El Comercio also reported that there were 18 Peruvian crewmembers onboard Happy Cruises’ other vessel, Ocean Pearl. They did not want to leave the ship for fear that they might not be paid. There are Peruvian crewmembers on Happy Dolphin in the same situation
Cruise Business Online has asked the manager of Gemini for a comment, which will posted as Update as soon as one has been received.
Reported by Alan Lam
Princess Cruises 2012 Europe program is company's largest ever
- Details
- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 30 September 2011 30 September 2011
Whether its the timeless cities of the Mediterranean, the splendor of Scandinavia and Russia or the intriguing ports of the continents northern reaches, Princess Cruises passengers may have a hard time choosing from among next summers array of Europe sailings. In 2012, the line will offer more itineraries and capacity than ever before.
The season features seven ships sailing on 57 itineraries to 116 destinations, with more than 125 departures between April and December. Highlights of the program include the European debut of Caribbean Princess, which brings additional capacity to the region, and a new 14-night Baltic Heritage itinerary offering more time to explore the fascinating ports of Scandinavia and Russia.
In addition, Princess sailings continue to give passengers extra time in fascinating ports throughout Europe, with 2-day experiences in Istanbul, St. Petersburg, Egypt, and Israel. Especially popular are the overnight stays in one of the continent's most sought-after destinations Venice on all 12-day Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises.
Two new ports will debut during the season the beautiful island of Korcula, Croatia, the reputed birthplace of explorer Marco Polo; and Nessebar, Bulgaria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site because its ancient city is a unique example of a synthesis of numerous civilizations with important Greek and Byzantine ruins.
"The vast diversity of attractions in Europe from the ancient ruins of Rome, to the imperial splendor of Russia, fascinating modern cities and a variety of important UNESCO World Heritage sites has inspired our growing collection of intriguing cruise options," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. And our passengers have the opportunity to choose from a variety of ships, from our intimate small ships to the largest amenity-filled vessels.
UPDATE - Efforts to revive collapsed Happy Cruises that left passengers stranded, holiday plans ruined
It now appears that, because of the demise of Happy Cruises, hundreds of passengers have been stranded and many more are affected.
The sudden cessation of operation on September 24th by the Spanish cruise company took many people by surprise. For some their dream holidays are all but ruined. For others, their immediate concern would be how to get home. According to a source inside Spain, a number of unhappy passengers were stranded in the Adriatic region. Most of them have now found alternatives by ways of land and air transportation back to Spain.
Because of the perceived suddenness of the announcement, the plans of hundreds, if not thousands, of passengers who were booked to start their holidays with Happy Cruises were abruptly thrown into disarray. Tour operators and agents all over Spain are now left with the task of informing their customers of the news and refunding their payments. Because of the lateness of the season, not all customers would elect to go on another cruise this year. Most of them simply cannot change their holiday dates.
The news is particularly devastating to the employees of the cruise company, who are now left to deal with the aftermath and to face an uncertain employment future. Happy Cruises’plan of carrying up to 100,000 passengers per year is now nothing more than an unrealised ambition.
Although it is highly unlikely, in the last effort to avoid total liquidation the company is grappling with the possibility of continuing operation from as early as October. It is reported that the partners and the management of Happy Cruises are actively seeking alternative sources of finance, talking with the two ship owners, and negotiating the debt issue with suppliers.
Reported by: Alan Lam
Voyages of Discovery launch online TV channel
- Details
- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 29 September 2011 29 September 2011
Voyages of Discovery, the destinational brand in the UK based All Leisure group's stable, is broadening its communication strategy by launching the Discovery Cruise TV (www.discoverycruise.tv) on the Internet.
One of the most innovative features of the new site is the Live Schedule which gives users the opportunity to view a selection of videos in real time. The schedules showcase various destinations and moving forward will feature content uploaded by passengers and partners of Voyages of Discovery, the company said in a statement.
Cruise itinerary videos are also available, playing cruises from the current and future cruise programme in a similar format to the iplayer. An invaluable tool for potential bookers looking to find the right cruise and past passengers wishing to reminisce by watching videos of cruises they have previously sailed on – Discovery Cruise TV is a first for the online cruise community. With a clear call to action, users can then find out more information about a specific programme by clicking through to the Voyages of Discovery website via the “INFO” button.
Users can immerse themselves with the Voyages of Discovery brand by accessing The Experience section – an area which allows a fuller understanding of the product and the experience passengers can expect on board.
All Leisure Holidays Online Director, Jos Dewing said, “Web TV is an innovative move for the group and presents a new medium for us to engage with our existing and new passengers. The videos we have on display best represent Voyages of Discovery and we are incredibly excited to see the channel evolve and for passengers to take on a bigger role in creating additional content in the future.”
The new channel will be available via the web by visiting www.discoverycruise.tv . Voyages of Discovery is hoping to generate more interest around the channel using social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.
More Articles ...
